This Bathurst Street bar earns the prize for Toronto’s coolest theme bar. Everything at this hip ice lounge is constructed with frozen blocks of ice — the walls, furniture, chairs and even the glasses. The cool nighttime clientele sips on scotch-based cocktails and single malt scotch drams, served on the rocks of course. Don’t worry, if you start to feel chilled to the bone you can head to the adjacent warming room and nurse a boozy hot toddy to increase your internal body temperature.

Put your paddle skills to the test at this unique basement ping pong bar in King West. The 12,000 square foot space features 12 ping pong tables, two bars and a private party room. Guest DJs add their own spin at this lively hotspot during glow-in-the-dark ping pong tournaments. Make sure you call ahead to reserve a table.

Every night’s a luau at this rooftop bar on Queen West above the iconic Bovine Sex Club. The outdoor oasis offers a tropical retreat from the downtown core with its island décor, colourful jungle plants and kitschy Polynesian masks. Don your loudest Hawaiian shirt and quench your thirst with slushy piña coladas and other potent cocktails served in novelty Tiki glassware.

Experience a night of Soviet-style revelry at this Russian-themed bar on Wellington Street. The red and gold décor, vintage light fixtures and Lenin statues will have you feeling like you’re back in the USSR. If you want to feel like a Czar for the night, book a private vodka tasting party in the underground vodka cellar. At midnight, the DJ stops spinning and the entire bar belts out the Russian national anthem — just hum along if you’re not sure about the words.

Jessica is a writer, editor and self-professed foodie. She loves exploring the city on two wheels, spends almost all of her disposable income at restaurants and never apologizes for Instagramming her food. After living in Toronto for almost a decade, she traded YYZ for YVR and is now the Vancouver City Editor for YP.

Grabbing lunch or dinner around the TIFF Bell Lightbox? If you've a craving for thin crust, wood-fired pizza in an upscale atmosphere, stop in at one of these trendy King West trattorias where humble pizza pie gets the gourmet treatment.

With plenty of cinematic delights to take in, you’ll need to make sure your hungry brood is properly fuelled during TIFF. Forget the typical movie-theatre popcorn and indulge in a meal at one of these family-friendly downtown dining destinations around the TIFF Bell Lightbox. [Image credit: iStock.com/Nastia11]

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